NATO Secretary General Rutte: We will need to spend far more than 2% of GDP on national defense.Ceng Gang, Shanghai Finance and Development Laboratory: Judging from the economic situation and policy space, it is still possible to lower the RRR and cut interest rates in the future. The Central Economic Work Conference proposed to implement a moderately loose monetary policy. In this regard, Ceng Gang, chief expert and director of Shanghai Finance and Development Laboratory, said that the tone of "moderately loose" monetary policy is in the same strain as that of Politburo meeting of the Chinese Communist Party. China's monetary policy has been adjusted from "steady" to "moderately loose", aiming at boosting economic growth and alleviating downward pressure through a more active monetary policy, while providing support for key areas and structural adjustment. In response to the expression of "timely RRR cuts and interest rate cuts", Ceng Gang believes that from the current economic situation and policy space, it is still possible to implement RRR cuts in the future, especially in targeted cuts to required reserve ratios, to release long-term liquidity; The possibility of interest rate cuts is also greater, and it is expected that a one-time large-scale interest rate cut will be implemented at the end of this year or early next year. (SSE)Lian Ping: The Central Economic Work Conference released a strong financial afterburner signal to lower the RRR or cut interest rates at the end of this year or early next year. Lian Ping, chairman of the China Chief Economist Forum and president of the Guangkai Chief Industry Research Institute, said in an interview that the Central Economic Work Conference mentioned that "a moderately loose monetary policy should be implemented" and "lowering the RRR and cutting interest rates at the right time", which means that it is expected to intensify next year. Combined with the current domestic and international situation and liquidity situation, it is expected that the RRR cut and interest rate cut will land at the end of this year and early next year. Regarding "exploring and expanding the macro-prudential and financial stability functions of the central bank", Lian Ping believes that, on the one hand, the monetary policy should be reasonable and moderate, with a steady pace, so as to avoid a big deviation from market demand; On the other hand, monetary policy should explore and expand related fields and innovate constantly in maintaining financial stability. The functional connotation of the subsequent central bank is expected to be further enriched, and its coverage function may be extended to the whole financial field. "Next, whether it is the real estate market or the stock market, we need to build a long-term mechanism for financial stability." Lian Ping said. (SSE)
Australia plans to force technology giants to pay for news content. The Australian government announced a new tax plan on the 12th, which will force technology giants to pay for news content to Australian media companies, otherwise they will face the risk of being charged higher taxes. According to the Australian government's plan, all digital platforms with an annual income of more than A $250 million (about US$ 160 million) in Australia must reach a commercial agreement with Australian media organizations on the use of news content, otherwise they will face the risk of being charged higher taxes. (Xinhua News Agency)The European Central Bank predicts that inflation will decline in 2025, and the European Central Bank currently predicts that inflation will cool down slightly faster than predicted in September. The bank's latest forecast shows that the average inflation rate in 2024 and 2025 is 2.4% and 2.1% respectively, while the previous forecast is 2.5% and 2.2% respectively. After cutting interest rates by 25 basis points, the European Central Bank said in a statement: "The anti-inflation process is on the right track." The bank said: "Domestic inflation has declined slightly, but it is still at a high level, mainly because wages and prices in some industries are still adapting to the past inflation surge, but there is a great delay." The European Central Bank maintains its inflation forecast of 1.9% in 2026, and predicts that the average inflation rate in 2027 will be 2.1%.European Central Bank President Lagarde: Domestic inflation remains high. Inflation will fluctuate around the current level in the short term. Domestic inflation reflects the influence of wage pressure and service industry.
European Central Bank President Lagarde: Eurozone banks remain resilient.Macron said that it opposed the free trade agreement reached between the EU and MERCOSUR. On December 12th, local time, French President Macron, who was visiting Poland, said that he disagreed with the free trade agreement reached between the EU and MERCOSUR. Macron said that the impact of the agreement on the agricultural market caused widespread concern, and France would not sacrifice its agricultural sovereignty. On the same day, Macron also said that Europe must strengthen its investment in security, build a European defense base and reduce its strategic dependence on the outside world. The EU and MERCOSUR reached a trade agreement on December 6th. The Southern Common Market was established in 1991. At present, its members are Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, of which the first four are founding members. The vast majority of goods among member countries are free to trade without tariffs, and a unified foreign tariff policy is implemented. It is understood that the trade agreement needs to be approved by at least 15 of the 27 EU member States, and it needs to be voted by the European Parliament before it can be approved. France, Poland and Italy opposed the agreement. (CCTV News)